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\nThis might not necessarily be your cup of tea. In fact, it might even cause a slight squeamishness in the tummy and tightness in your chest. These are purely not my intentions. I do, however, genuinely mean to take a reality check, laying out the bare, grim facts of the ELT industry for post CELTA trainees, most importantly, how these dark hues can veritably be transformed into splashes of radiant colours on the canvas of our teaching journeys.<\/p>\n
A couple of months ago I got my CELTA done. It was such a momentous experience. I became more aware of my teaching but most of all, crossed paths with people from different walks of life; experienced teachers meaning to become better teachers, serious individuals deeply thinking of switching careers, fresh graduates planning on a bit of backpacking. And then, there was this other group \u2013 a group who had not the slightest inclination as to why they\u2019re getting the CELTA done \u2013 \u201cyea, probably yea, it\u2019s gonna\u2026you know\u2026help me get some part-time teaching thing going\u201d. <\/i>The CELTA group support, though, was tremendous. In between back-to-back endless lesson planning, sleepless nights and assignments, we somehow managed to laugh and hold on together during the intense CELTA month. In a swoop it was all done.<\/p>\n
Speaking of the CELTA, it\u2019s interesting how this certification is advertised on the Internet. Recognized as the most highly respected and widely known teacher training programme, these advertisements for the CELTA promise you a teaching job \u201cin almost any location worldwide<\/i>\u201d, with such strong conviction at that. What most training schools fail to mention is \u201cin almost any location worldwide with the right passport\u201d.<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/i><\/b>Seriously, the \u201cnative non-native teacher tug of war\u201d is, I believe, nothing but a fa\u00e7ade. The reality is you just need to have the right passport from the right country. At the very core, this educational industry has regrettably, turned out to be a revenue-churning megacorp, hasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Sadly, this truth only set in when some of my CELTA mates started looking for teaching jobs. You see, some of the most passionate CELTAites in my group were NNESTS. They grew so much as teachers during the 4-week course that I was utterly impressed as I sat through their classes day after day. These new teachers connected so well with their learners that it always felt like being in a magical bubble of a classroom. And yet, after the CELTA, they had the toughest time looking for a teaching job (with the \u201cother group\u201d mentioned above, being qualified passport holders, almost immediately receiving offers). It was so painful watching them struggle that it gave me sleepless nights. I could feel the frustration in their messages to me as reality dawned on them.<\/p>\n
All I could do was listen, offer suggestions and supportive words.<\/p>\n
To these friends so close to my heart, I\u2019d like to say something \u2013 \u201cChallenges in life can either enrich you or poison you. You\u2019re the one who decides\u201d. <\/i>Please remember that \u2026<\/p>\n
1) The CELTA is only a certification. Don\u2019t let it define you. Don\u2019t let it break you. Leave it where it belongs – in the file, among the other certificates. <\/i>Great you\u2019ve got it. Now, move on.<\/p>\n
2) Rethink your expectations when looking for a teaching job. Be practical. You\u2019re still fresh in the industry after all. Rather than competing with the \u201cappropriate passport holders\u201d and seeking for the \u201cperfect-CELTA-like-Pre-Intermediate-highly motivated- 16-to-a-class-language school\u201d job, accept the real deal whole heartedly, be it a public school with 30 plus rebellious teenagers or a group of hyperactive young learners who drive you up the wall. Let the experience of working and connecting with them build you up. Reflect. Blog or keep a journal. Think of how you can do it better again. One step at a time.<\/p>\n
3) For a start, re-read all the methodology books suggested in the CELTA course. Not for the purpose of completing CELTA assignments, but for expanding your consciousness as a teacher.<\/p>\n
4) Get connected with teachers around the world, and don\u2019t give reasons not to. All you need to do is to google ELT webinars,\u00a0 iTDi,pro, ELTChat or KELTChat (just to name a few) and the teaching world will open up to you.<\/p>\n
e) Nothing comes easy in life! If it\u2019s easy, it\u2019s not life is it? Work harder if you have to. Go ahead, complain and vent your frustrations, but keep working harder and growing as a teacher.<\/p>\n
Oh, and in case you\u2019re wondering as to whether I\u2019ve put this into practice? Yes. I have. And yes, it has helped me get to where I am right now. And for the record, I do think I need to work on my YL classroom management skills, and am in the midst of reading up a brilliant book titled Getting The Buggars To Behave<\/a> J<\/p>\n PS: My most personal and heartfelt gratitude to all teachers who have been strongly standing for equal opportunities in the ELT world<\/a>. If you drop by Malaysia, I\u2019d like to invite you for a warm meal at our home.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The post-CELTA Days Ratnavathy Ragunathan This might not necessarily be your cup of tea. In fact, it might even cause a slight squeamishness in the tummy and tightness in your chest. These are purely not my intentions. I do, however, genuinely mean to take a reality check, laying out the bare, grim facts of the … Continue reading Choices and Challenges in ELT – Ratnavathy<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":1013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-choices-and-challenges"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7305,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4715\/revisions\/7305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/itdi.pro\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"